HS TRACK: Tall City Invitational returns with more teams competing

Christopher Hadorn|chadorn@mrt.com

Published 4:30 pm, Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Photo: Tommy Metthe/Abilene Reporter-News

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Midland High's Bryce Hoppel leads the pack to the finish line to win the boys 800 meter race during the District 3/4-6A Area Track Meet on Friday, April 24, 2015, at Elmer Gray Stadium in Abilene. Tommy Metthe/Abilene Reporter-News less

Midland High's Bryce Hoppel leads the pack to the finish line to win the boys 800 meter race during the District 3/4-6A Area Track Meet on Friday, April 24, 2015, at Elmer Gray Stadium in Abilene. Tommy ... more

Photo: Tommy Metthe/Abilene Reporter-News

HS TRACK: Tall City Invitational returns with more teams competing

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The Tall City Invitational Track Meet is back after a one-year hiatus.

In 2015, the high school track and field meet was canceled because of a late February snow storm, but this year the Midland High hosted event was moved to the spring time.

Twenty one varsity programs will compete in today’s meet at Memorial Stadium beginning at noon.

The meet’s area teams include Lee, MHS, Midland Christian, Trinity, Andrews, Big Spring and Garden City. In addition, MHS and Lee will be joined by three of their four District 3-6A foes -- Odessa Permian, Odessa High and San Angelo Central.

“We wanted to make it a one day meet, get more teams to come,” Lee girls head coach Mike Connelly said. “It worked. There’s more teams coming. They seem fired up about it. It’s a good plan. It’s a good deal too for our kids too to give them some rest as they get down the home stretch.”

The home stretch leads up to the District 3-6A Track and Field Championships, which is scheduled for April 14-15 at Ratliff Stadium in Odessa.

With five District 3-6A teams participating today, today’s results will provide more clarity about what might happen in Odessa in three weeks.

So far, Midland High has emerged as the team favorites after its boys and girls squads won in convincing fashion against five of their six 3-6A rivals at West Texas Relays in Odessa on March 5.

However, there is still time for athletes to improve their times and marks as the weather heats up.

“You want to see times improve, that’s No. 1,” Lee boys head coach Floyd White said. “The biggest deal for us we want to get our kids out there and we just want them to compete, that they compete to the best of their ability, that they compete hard.”

Here are a list of athletes to watch in today’s meet:

Bryce Hoppel, Sr., MHS -- Something special could happen every time the 2015 Class 6A state 800 meter runner-up takes the track. The University of Kansas signee owns the nation’s fastest prep time (1:51.67) in the 800 during the 2016 season according to athletic.net. The state record is 1:48.21 by Abilene High’s Jonathan Johnson in 2001. Hoppel also holds the state’s second-fastest time this season in the 1,600 (4:16.30) according to the same website.

Michael Marsh, Sr., Lee -- Marsh, the 2015 3-6A/4-6A area meet champion in the discus, ranks 19th in the state with a heave of 162-3 1/2 according to athletic.net.

Denim Rogers, Sr., Lee -- The Garden City (Kan.) Community College commit is the Rebels’ point machine, recording first-place finishes in the 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles and high jump at the West Texas Relays. His best high jump of 6-8 is tied for eighth in the state so far according to athletic.net.

Dexter Neboh, Sr., Odessa Permian -- The Panthers wide receiver standout won both the 100 meters and long jump at the West Texas Relays. Athletic.net also credits him with the second furthest triple jump in the state this year (48-7 1/2).